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(Nb Model.)

' W. B. BARKER.

MARINE SIGNALING CODE! Patented May 16, 1882 zgj .1

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UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. BARKER, on HOBOKEN, NEW JERsEY.

MARINE SlGNALlNG CODE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,913, dated May 16, 1882.

- Application'filed July l5, 1881. (No nlodell) Patented in England June 27, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. BARKER, of Hoboken, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Marine Signaling Code, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to marine signaling codes consisting of combinations of sounds adapted tobe produced by steam-whistles or other sound-producing instruments. In Lette'rs Patent of the United States No'216,820, granted to me June 24,1879, is described and shown a code of signals to be used in open-sea sailing, consisting of eight signals, composed of combinations of long and short plain sounds, systematically arranged so as to clearly indicate the direction the vessel from which the signal emanates is steering. Each signal embraces four points of the compass. In other proposed codes the compass has been divided into more than eight parts but such extended division islikely to be ineffective on accgunt of the liability of mistaking one signal for another and the difficulty of committing the signals to memory. It has been fully demonstrat: ed that, if the'oourse ofvessels which are out of sight is known to within four points of the compass to the masters of other vessels, collisions may be avoided as well as when they are plainly seen.

N This present invention has for its object to make the long and short sounds so distinctive in their nature or character that it will be immay be placed.

The open-sea code of this present application consists of eight signals, composed of long and short sounds, systematically arranged, as set forth and shown in my beforementioned patcut, but with a most important change in the character of thelon g sound. All signal-sounds heretofore used have been of a plain character--that is, short steady blasts for the short sounds and prolonged steady blasts for thelon g sounds and I have found in practice that for 'dotted long and plain short lines.

long distance and under certain peculiar conditions of the atmosphere a long blast is sometimes taken for a short blast or blasts on account of the first or last part of the sound be.- in g inaudible or a break occurring in the middle, and that a short blast or consecutive short blasts may, unless great care is exercised, be taken for a long blast. Now, I entirely obviate any such mistake occurring by giving to the long sounds an intermittent character, or makin g them undulatory, and retaining for the short sounds short steady blasts, so that if any part of or as soon as a vibratory blast is heard it becomes instantly known as along sound, and the position it occupies in relation to the short plain blasts with which it is combined in the signal being given enables the signal to be fully understood wherever heard. The combinations of long vibratory or undu latory sounds and short plain sounds constituting the eight signals of the open-sea code, or part of the code, are as follows, the long vibratory or undulatory sound being indicated by a long dotted line, thus and the short plain sound by a short plain line thus North to north-east, North-east to east, East to south-east, South-east tosouth, South to south-West, South-west to west, West to north-west, N orth-west to north,

The accompanying drawings represent two ways in which the signals may be arranged for ready reference. In Figure 1 they are represented as arranged on a rectangular card, the openseacode in the upper part and the river code below it, and in line with'the different courses are the corresponding signals, represented by C 77 and East on the second line indicate that the four signals beneath each are respectively westward and eastward signals, and the brackets marked North and South on the lefthand side embracehorizontally across the card, respectively, all the northward and southward signals. The river code will be understood by reference had thereto hereinafter. Fig. 2 reptoo resents the various signals of the two codes arranged in a circle, the initials of the signals being substituted for the full names of the different courses. In this form the circular piece of card, 850., may be pivoted at its center a to a base-board, b, so as to enable it to be rotated to bring the desired signal opposite a lubberpoint, as shown at c, and it also represents the dial-plate of the machine, hereinafter referred to. If, for instance, in a fog the master of a vessel which is steering between north-east and east hears a signal of three short plain sounds and one long vibratory sound ............)fromavesselinfrontof him, he would immediately change the course of his vessel either northward and respond by giving the signal one vibratory long sound and two plain short sounds or change the course of his vessel eastward and give the signalone long vibratory sound, one short plain, and one long vibratorysound,(............ and thereby steer clear of the other vessel, and

at the same time notify the master ofthe same of the direction he is going. This as an illustration will be ample to show the advantages to be derived by the use of this code.

It will be observed that in the above code no two long vibratory or undulatory sounds are together; but where they occur in a signal they are separated by one or two short plain blasts, so that it is impossible to mistake the signal given by imagining that avibratory blast is a part of a preceding vibratory blast; nor can two short blasts be confused as belon ging to one blast, as the interval of time between blasts will be about two seconds, and the short blasts tliemselves will only occupy the same time, the long vibratory blast being of at least six or eight seconds duration and it will also be observed that the approximate course a vessel is steering may be learned the instant the first part of a signal is heard, as all signals for eastward courses commence with long vibratory sounds and all signals for westward courses commence with short plain sounds; and, again, supposing the first part of a signal is not heard, or a doubt exists as to its nature, then the approximate course of a vessel signaling may be learned by the finishing sound of the signal, as all signals for northward courses end with a short plain blast and all signals for southward courses end with a long vibratory blast.

It is evident from the foregoing that by the use of this code of signals vessels on the darkest nights or in the heaviest fogs may be perfectly advised otnotonly the positions of other vessels in their neighborhood, but may indicate to each other the direction in which they are steering, so that collisions may be entirely avoided.

, The river code, which I will now describe,

which, though under some circumstances may be considered an independent code from the open-sea code just described, yet must necessarily be usedin conjunction with it, or, rather, in sequence with it, by almost all vessels, and must be understood and employed by masters of sea-goin g vessels. The signals as at present required by law to be used by vessels in river navigation are: a long steady blast when under way, both going up and down stream, the vessel going down stream to have the right of way; two short blasts when steering or about to change the course to the left, and one short blast when steering or about to change the course to the right. Now, it will be seen by a little consideration that there is considerable chance of accidents occurring in dark or foggy weather, as the master of a vessel, forinstance, going up stream may hear a signal from another vessel ahead of him indicating that she ismovingtotheright, and,notknowing whether the vessel from which the signal emanates is going up or down stream, he would, as required by law, slacken his speed or go to the right, and would in all probability, if going faster than the signaling vessel, collide with her should she happen to be going up stream. Such chances of accidents would be avoided by the use of my improved river code, as I provide signals for down-river movements of an entirely distinctive character from those to be used when going up river-that is .to say,

'all down-river signals are sounds of a'vibratory or un'dulatory character and all up-river signals plain sounds, the signalsin both cases being alike as to the duration of the sounds, and also similar in this respect to the signals used at present.

The principle on which this code depends is a division of the riverinto three parts-viz., midriver, right bank, and left bank, the right bank being the right-hand bank going down river, and the left bank being the left-hand bank goin g down river. For mid-river the signal will be a prolonged blast of a vibratory character when going down river and a prolonged plain blastwhen going up river; two short vibratory blasts when moving along the right-bank down river or when changing the course toward this bank, and two plain blasts moving along the right bank up river or when changin g course toward this bank; one short vibratory blast when moving along the left bank down river or when changing the course toward this bank, and one plain blast when moving along the left bank up river or when changing the course toward this bank. And when two vessels are approaching one another in mid-river or at either bank, then the vessel going up stream will change her course to give the right of way to the downstream vessel, because vessels moving against the stream answer the helm more quickly than vessels moving with the stream, as is well understood by mariners.

Thefollowing, as well as thcdrawings, graphically illustrates the river code by the same tration of the open-sea code.

Down river. Up river. Left bank, Mid-river, Right bank,

It will be observed that as soon as a signal is sounded it becomes evident to the masters of other vessels in what part of the river the signaling vessel is, and whether she is moving up or down river, for it is impossible, as in the other part of the code, to mistake the short plain for the long vibratory or undulatory sounds, or vice versa; and it is also obvious that if the masters of vessels exercise any care in managing their vessels and give the proper signals and pay attention to signals from other vessels rivers may be navigated with equal safety when the vessels cannot be seen from one another, even when in close proximity, as in broad daylight, and that this, as well as the open-sea part of the code, is so simple in the arrangement of the sounds in the different signals as to be readily committed to memory by the most illiterate, and when once known not easily forgotten.

These signals are adapted to be given on any sound-producing instrument or apparatus, and may be automatically produced by machines such as described in the before-mentioned Letters Patent, granted to me J uue 24, 1879, No.

216,820, and in the application for Letters Patent, No. 12,110, filed byme June 21, 1880, Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings representing the dial-plate of said machine, in either of which machines the vibratory or undulatory sounds maybe produced by serrating the edges of the parts of the cams for giving the long sounds, which act on the lever to open the valve or operate thesteam-whistle; or a ballvalve may be placed under or above the cutolf valve, to be freed by suitable means actuated by the cams to allow the compressed air to pass to the fog-horn in intermittent puffs when a vibratory sound is to be given. The valve and whistle operating cams of such machines may be formed to produce all of the signals above specified; but I wish it understood that the mechanism for producing the signals forms no part of this invention, attention being called to the same merely to show that the signals may be given by automatic machines.

Although I have described the improvements in sound-signals as applied to a riversignal code, I do not here claim the same, as said improvements will form the subject of another application,

Having now described my invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The improved method of indicating the course of vessels at sea by eight predetermined sound-signals, each composed of systematically-arranged long notes of a vibratory or undulatory character and short notes of uniformly plain character, the four eastward signals commencing with a long vibratory or undulatory sound, the four westward signals commencing with a short plain sound, the four northward signals ending with a short plain sound, and the four southward signals ending with along vibratory or undulatory sound, as described, and adapted to be produced by means substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The improved method of signaling by sound to indicate the courses of vessels, adapt ed to be produced by means substantially as described, the north to north-east signal being composed of one long note of a vibratory or undulatory character and two short notes of a uniformly plain character; the north-east to the east signal one long vibratory or undu latory note and three short plain notes; the east to south-east signal one long vibratory or undulatory note, one short plain note, and one long vibratory or undulatory note; the southeast to south signal one long vibratory or andulatory note, two short plain notes, and one long vibratory or undulatory note; the south to south-west signal two short plain notes and one long vibratory or undulatory note; the

south-west to west signal three short plain notes and one long vibratory or undulatory note; the west to north-west signal one short plain -note, one Ion g vibratory or undulatory note, and, one short plain note; and the northwest to north signal four short plain notes, allproduced with proper intervals of rest between each two distinct sounds or notes, as

hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereoflhavehereunto set my hand this 25th day of May, A. D. 1881.

WM. B. BARKER.

Witnesses ALFRED SHEDLOGK, H. D. WILLIAMS. 

